SEERAM International Summit On Water Cooperation for Inclusive Growth

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SEERAM International Summit On Water Cooperation for Inclusive Growth

The importance of Water Cooperation lies in the fact that water is a cross-cutting issue which demands attention at all levels and across sectors. Water cooperation will be a cornerstone to achieving the inclusive growth, and ensuring 'water security' and a sustainable future.

Consequently, the 2013 International Year on Water Cooperation calls on leaders to bring water to center stage, acting as the basis in which to establish stronger ties between nations, states and communities.

Nurturing opportunities for cooperation in water management and improving the comprehension of the challenges and benefits of water cooperation builds trust and mutual respect among water users. And in turn, it contributes to promoting peace, security and sustainable economic growth. To ensure that water security and sustainability is achieved, concerted efforts must be made to promote water co-operation at river basin and local scale, including in transboundary river basins, irrigation districts and cities. Cooperation is necessary to deal with some of major issues such as water allocation decisions, upstream and downstream impacts of water pollution and water abstraction, construction and management of new infrastructures, dealing with illegal abstractions and overexploitation of surface and groundwater, deciding on financing management of water resources and water services, among others.

In this regard, negotiation, mediation and other dispute resolution mechanisms including the role of water diplomacy as well as participatory tools or procedures will be the main themes of discussion in the conference. The conference will introduce the key skills required, with particular attention to their important role in the process of negotiation and mediation, with examples of their application in national and international water settings.

To achieve this, there is a focus on four strategic objectives:

  1. Raise awareness on the importance, benefits and challenges of water cooperation
  2. Enhance knowledge and build capacity for water cooperation
  3. Spark concrete and innovative action towards water cooperation
  4. Encourage partnerships and dialogue around water cooperation.

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